Had a contact last week with a sailor en-route from Cabo San Lucas, MX to Hilo, Hawaii. He was about 1/3 of the way there. I was rounding Cape Hatteras at the time, so total distance was about 3100 miles.

I have worked so many countries from the mobile I cannot think of what would have been the farthest. However, one sticks out in my mind. Miles per watt ERP would have to be my mobile contact on 160m to Austria from Michigan using 100w from the mobile. With an ERP of 2w over a distance of 4500 miles, on 160m this is awesome. When conditions are good and you have a decent antenna, DX is easy from the mobile.

I can remember the last solar cycle working almost every point around the globe all within a couple hours from the mobile. Location and conditions is more of a determining factor than anything else. Any antenna that is better than a dummy load will get out when the conditions are right. True, an antenna that is more efficient will do better when conditions are marginal. However, even an a hamstick will do the trick when conditions are right. I would much rather have an antenna that will work all of the time, though, than to have one that is so-so.

As far as time is concerned: I talk on 75m from the mobile quite a bit. While mobile on 75m I have had my normal round-table with the group that I talk to. My mobile puts out good enough signal (running 100w) that I have pulled up to the house and just continued talking from the pickup -- why go inside when I am 10dB-20dB over S9 from the mobile. I have talked from before sunset to a little after sunrise to the same group on 3840kHz from the mobile.

I live in the remote mountains of east central Nevada, which makes having a good HF mobile a necessity; VHF is not very common and we only have a few repeaters, and none in certain areas, and none that work more than 20 miles from town; UHF does not exist; cell phones, yeah right. When you get 15 miles away from a town, forget it. At times you can be 70 miles away from a town, so HF is the only way to go. This is why in the day I run 40m and at night I use 75m.

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